WNYT.com

Union College remembers one of their own

SCHENECTADY - Friday evening family and friends of Sean Murphy mourned the loss of the 22-year-old they called "Murph," a senior at Union College.

"He always had an easy laugh and was supportive and it really just hit me like a ton of bricks inside of the kind of guy that we lost and the kind of guy that he was for all of us," said Patrick Debenedetto, president of Union College's chapter of Sigma Chi, Murphy's fraternity.

Murphy's father, teachers and fraternity brothers shared fond memories they'd made together, punctuated by stories about his sense of humor.

The memorial service took place as questions continued about the early morning crash on Route 151 in East Greenbush that instantly killed Murhpy on Wednesday. He was a passenger in a car authorities say was driven by 22-year-old Mark Fusco, who now faces DWI charges in the crash.

Fusco is a Rensselaer police officer and the son of Rensselaer Police Chief Rick Fusco. So far, he hasn't been suspended from his job despite the DWI charge.

When NewsChannel 13's Dan Bazile visited the office of Mayor Daniel Dwyer Friday to find out why, the lights were off. When Dwyer was tracked down, he would only say, "We're following procedure. That's all I have to say."

The city clerk, who's a member of the Board of Public Safety, also had very little to say.

"I can tell you the board is meeting next week. That's the best I can do," said Maureen Nardacci.

Mark Fusco is still hospitalized, in fair condition, for the injuries he suffered during the accident.